The present invention related to a buckle or a safety belt and more specifically to an apparatus which can be used in either a top or an end release buckle.
Top release buckles may be preferred for use with safety belts for the rear seat of a vehicle. End release buckles may be preferred for use with safety belts for the front seat of a vehicle. These two different types of buckles have previously used different subassemblies to engage the tongue of a safety belt. A top release buckle has a subassembly which is actuated to release the tongue of a safety belt by manually depressing a pad on the top of the buckle. An end release buckle has a subassembly which is actuated to release the tongue of a safety belt by manually moving a slide at one end of the buckle.
The use of different subassemblies for top and end release buckles complicates the manufacture and assembly of the buckles. Thus, an inventory of one set of parts must be maintained for the subassembly of a top release buckle and an inventory of another set of parts must be maintained for the subassembly of an end release buckle. Due to the different constructions of the subassemblies, the mode of assembly of the top and end release buckles is different.